Well, my kidneys worked without any help for 12309 days. As of today, they’ll no longer do their job without the aid of technology that’s only been around for a half-century. Ok, so I’m being a little melodramatic. They’re still working, but at 8% and declining, it’s time for dialysis.

It is weighty realization for me to consider that, for the rest of life, I will either be on dialysis or using a kidney that once belonged to someone else. I have known for twenty years that this day would come, but I am still not ready for it. I had kinda hoped I’d have accomplished a few more things by now--some pretty basic things. Indeed, I’ve spent many years certain that life would be quite bleak if I hadn’t accomplished those few things by the time I needed dialysis.

Herman and Toastie (08-28-2009)

Needless to say, I’ve had to recalibrate my mindset slightly, or else I wouldn’t be able to face any of this at all, let alone appreciate the things I do have in my life. I don’t think I have what one would consider an especially positive attitude. I’m merely doing what must be done to survive.

Bob Cesca in The Huffington Post:

Healthcare Reform Named After Ted Kennedy Must Not Suck

Edward M. Kennedy (1932 – 2009)

Boston, from the JFK Presidential Library and Museum (02-02-2008)

His family, they’ve given so much to this country. I love Ted Kennedy. I love Vicki Kennedy. And I love that whole family, and I just want everybody to know that they need to be revered. That’s a family that’s given a great deal to this country, and they deserve a lot of credit.
- Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)

I have a good friend who had the privilege of working for Senator Kennedy some years ago, and so I know that people who got to know Ted Kennedy personally loved him a lot. Democrats have not yet had a truly great President in my lifetime. But we’ve had Ted Kennedy, and we and the nation, even those who bitterly denigrate the man, are better for it.

Of the 300 or so laws written by Kennedy that have been enacted, I have personally relied a good deal on the COBRA Act of 1985 and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. I’m sure I could find plenty more if I looked a little deeper.

Thank you, Sir. Rest in peace.

Twenty-something years after finding out I’ve got Polycystic Kidney Disease, and nineteen or so months after entering end-stage renal disease territory, I’ll be starting dialysis on Friday.

I’ll have a couple of “brief” treatments at the hospital on Friday and Saturday, and then, on the following Tuesday, I’ll start my regular thrice-weekly stint at a local dialysis center. The regular treatments will run somewhere in the neighborhood of three-and-a-half to four hours, starting at 6AM.

As I’ve said before, I have not done a whole lot of reading about others’ experiences on dialysis, because I would prefer to have somewhat of a blank slate concerning the possible outcomes rather than worrying about the seemingly endless possible complication that can result. When ___x____ happens, I’ll Google it to see if it’s common, but I don’t want my mind littered with all the information about all the x’s and y’s. I’ve heard some advice along the lines of “make sure that they…” and “tell them that you want…” and while all of that preparation may seem like a good idea, it is overwhelming for me.

I am dealing with job stress, career dissatisfaction, sick pets, a sick house, financial woes, and a crummy, lonely social life. My thought on dialysis right now is that I simply have to do it. I simply have to deal with it and whatever comes with it. It’s going to be part of my life for the foreseeable future, so there is no use worrying about how lousy of an experience it might be.

I don’t know how much I’ll write about dialysis…likely whatever I feel is helpful for me to write down. I don’t expect it will be a source of amusement or inspiration for anyone. It’ll just be what it is…an all-too public journal of how I deal with dialysis. I thought of starting a new blog in which I’d just write about dialysis, and I’d make it anonymous so it would not be encumbered by other personal details about my life, political beliefs, etc. I probably won’t be doing that.

Thursday, Herman and I encountered this turtle strolling down the sidewalk near the intersection of Green and Onslow Streets.

Is this an Eastern Box Turtle?

Aremid: Chump

Herman: Grump

Ouisa: Rump

As promised, I present pictures of slugs copulating. This is perhaps the most exciting topic I have ever blogged or shall ever blog about.

I did not realize initially that this slimy mass was actually two slugs. I had no idea what it was. It seemed too big to be one slug. It didn’t quite seem like a snake, and I didn’t think snakes hung from mucous. I was not adventurous enough to get close enough to observe.

I saw the blob shift in shape a few times, but I really didn’t know what it was. Not until the blog separately into two, with one hitting the porch floor with a light thud, did I recognize two distinct organisms.

Once I saw the enlarged photos, it seemed like it should’ve been obvious.

Anyway, as with the spider, I don’t know anything about slugs. But I am assuming they were having sex.

Maybe they were having a discussion about health care. I don’t know.

Does anyone know anything about spiders? I saw this in my front yard today. It’s quite a beautiful creature, complete with a huge perfect web and everything. It’s not like one of those stringy messes I’m used to seeing at the top of my front door.

Tomorrow on Toastie’s Wide World of Wildlife: Slugs having sex. Seriously. I was going to put that in this post, but I figured I’d milk my nature-photo goldmine for a couple of days.

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Holy crap…there’s a series of YouTube videos featuring legendary “Dallas” actor Patrick Duffy and a sidekick called The Crab…

_{(and if you only know him as the dad from “Step by Step”, please do not admit this to me, because that will depress me)}